He was the Charlemagne of Italy who
succeeded
in bringing all of the northern part of the country under a firm rule based on justice.
A-Companion-to-the-Cantos-of-Ezra-Pound-II
Brunihilde to Brunhild.
.
.
.
It is well known that certain historical char- acters were actually introduced into legend: Etzel .
.
.
was Attila the Hun, and Dietrich of Berne .
.
.
was Theodoric the Great.
"
22. Theodoric: Called Theuderic by Paul. Grandson of Brunhilda and Sigebert I. Not to be confused with the earlier Theodoric the Great, 454-526.
23. Brunhilda: She ruled as regent for her young grandson Theodoric.
24. Roma caput EccIesiae: L, "Rome the
head of the Church. " A declaration of Pope Boniface III made while (or, perhaps, because) the Persians were overrunning Jerusalem [Migne, 570].
2S. my grand-dad. . . hungry: Paul the
Deacon gives some of his own family his-
tory. He says the Huns forced his great-great-
grandfather Lupicis to flee Pannonia (now I Yugoslavia) "using a wolf as guide" [Migne, 574]. JW sees a pun in the spelling of Jugo- slavia, "because Paulus says his forebear was trying to escape the 'yoke (jugum) of cap- tivity. ' But when Lupieis (his own name resembles lupus, wolf) got too hungry, the animal became suspicious and fled" [JW,
Later, 106] .
26. comes itineris: L, "companion of the
593
route," which is what Paulus calls the wolf [Migne, 574].
27. Rothar: Rothari (? -652), king of the Lombards, 636-652. "And he was brave and strong," said Paul, "and followed the path of justice; he did not, however, hold the right line of Christian belief, but was stained by the infidelity of the Arian heresy [103: 105]. " Said Paul, "This king Rothari col- lected . . . the laws of the Langobards which
they were keeping in memory only, and he
directed this code to be called the Edict" [Migne,581].
28. Arian heresy: A theological concept
involving the nature of the Son in relation to the Father which as a major source of dissen- sion, tore the early church apart for hundreds of years. Said Paul: "The Arians, indeed, say to their own ruin that the Son is less than the Father, and the Holy Spirit also is less than the Father and the Son. But we Catho- lics confess that the Father and Son and
Holy Spirit are one and the true God in three
persons, equal in power and the same in
glory" [Migne, 582].
29. Ticino: Early name of Pavia, the seat
of the one Arian bishop, "Anastasius by name," who finally became converted. Said Paul, "It was now indeed the seventy- seventh year from the time when the Lango- bards had come into Italy, as that king bore witness in a prologue to his Edict" [Migne, 582].
30. dope. . . murder:JWsummarizesneatly: "no sooner does Rothar establish the law than Lombard SOCiety begins to show signs of decadence; dope is used (talis patio, 582); a snake cult is employed (585, note); and Chrothar debauches (bacchatur) with concu-
bin. es (586). Things reach a nadir when an aristocrat is cut down brutally in the basilica of San Giovanni in Pavia (592)" [JW, Later, 107, nos. in parens refer to Migne] .
31. Constans Augustus: Constantine IV,
631-685, became emperor at the age of 11 (642). His reign was fraught with violence and controversy. At one time, he captured
1
? ? ? 594
96/652-653
many of the cities of the Langobards but, failing finally, "directed all the threats of his cruelty against his own followers, that is the Romans" [Migne, 602] .
32. Pantheon: Constans was the first emperor to visit Rome for nearly two centuries-Pope Vitalian came out 6 miles to meet him. But Constans "pulled down everything that in ancient times had been made of metal for the ornament of the city, to such an extent that he even stripped off the roof of the church of the Blessed Mary which at one time was called the Pantheon. . . and he took away from there the bronze tiles and sent them with all the other ornaments to Constantinople"
[Migne, 602].
33. Constantinople: Formerly Byzantium, headquarters of the emperor since the time of Constantine the Great.
34. Siracusa: Said Paul: "He [Constans] dwelt in Syracuse and put such affiictions upon the people . . . as were never heard of before . . . but at last he suffered the punish- ment of such great iniquities and while he was in the bath he was put to death by his own servants" [Migne, 603] .
35. Reyna: Hieronymus Antonius R. , a friend of Fridericus Lindenbrogius, who is the editor of the work. In a note [Migne, 620] the editor says his friend Reyna told him "that the Lombards of this period cast statues of their heroes in the name and cult of St. Michael" [JW, Later, 107].
36. Migne: Jacques Paul M. , 1800-1875, a Roman Catholic priest who established a press in Paris and printed religious works. His principal work, in 3 series, was Patro- logiae, a collection of the writings of all the Christian writers from the beginning to the 15th century. He did the Latin fathers in 221 vols. , including indexes; the Greek fathers in Latin in 81 vols. ; and the Greek fathers in both Greek and Latin in 166 vols.
who says Paul visited Rome for absolution and died there [Migne, 632] .
38. Architriclin: L, "majordomo. " A sort of "mayor of the palace" to whom the Mero- vingian kings yielded their power. As a re- sult, the French rule passed into the hands of the Carolingians [Migne, 634]. Rhymes with the advice of Apollonius about what happens when the king will not be king
[94: 166].
39. From the golden . . . : Pound's transla- tion of "Aurea ex fonte quiescunt in ordine regis," the epitaph on the sepulcher of King Cunibert, next to the basilica in Pavia.
40. Cuningpert: Cunibert. Paul calls him [Migne, 636] "elegans" ("elegant") and "au- daxque bellator" ("a bold warrior").
41. de partibus Liguriae: L, "from the re- gions of the Ligurians. "
42. lubricus: L, "slippery" or "deceitful. " The epithet Paul applies to a duke from Liguia named Ferdulfus [Migne, 639] .
43. Aripert . . . gold: The fate of King A. was to drown in the Tieino River while he was trying to escape to France. He might have gotten away if he hadn't loaded himself
down with gold.
44. auro gravatus: L, "weighted down with gold. " The irony prompts Pound's next two lines. Migne has "gravatus auro" [646].
45. Via Lata: L, "Broad Street. "
46. Ponte Milvio: L, "MilVain Bridge. " After listing minor mishaps, Paul recorded a real disaster in which most of Rome was flooded
[Migne, 648] .
47. et quia Karolus: L, "and whom Charles. " From a chapter heading in Migne [648]: "De gente AngJorum, et rege Fran- corum Pippino, et bel1is ejus, et quia ei Karo- Ius suus filius successit" ("concerning the English people, and Pippin, king of the Franks, and his wars, and whom his son Charles [Charlemagne] followed").
48. Pippin: Pepin of Heristal (died ca. 714),
the father of Charles Martel and his wife Alpaide.
49. Plectrude's: A first wife of Pepin of Heristal whose sons were named Drogo and Grimvald.
50. Martel: Charles M. , 688-741, ruler of the Franks, the natural son of Pepin of Heri~ stal and grandfather of Charlemagne. He started to gain power as "mayor of the pal- ace" [cf. 38 above], crushed all opposition, and extended his rule from Austrasia to Bur- gundy, Aquitaine, and Provence. He also subjugated a number of German tribes, en~ couraged the missionary work of St. Boni~ face, and consolidated enough power to halt the Moslem invasion of Europe at the battle of Tours in 732. Known as "Charles the
Hammer," he never used the title king, but at his death he divided his lands between his sons Pepin the Short and Carolman.
51. Pippin: Pepin the Short. Paul's notes as well as his text is confusing, as the words "wait, wait" indicate. This Pepin was the father of Charlemagne.
52. Charlemagne: Charles the Great, 742- 814, who became the greatest of the Caro- lingian kings.
53. empty grave . . . San Zeno: The refer- ence is not in the SOUrce. DG's notes say it is a rhyme with "Y Yin sent the young king into seclusion" [85/546].
54. another bloke in Milano: Not in the source. Quite likely a reference to the fu- neral of Mussolini, which took place Aug. 31, 1957. The N. ? . Times for that date [pp. 1,3] says that M's body had been hid- den for 11 years in a box in a Capuchin monastary 15 miles NW of Milan. It was taken on this day to be buried in the family vault at the cemetery of San Casciano, at Predappio, M's home town. About 20 people were present with the widow: "members of her own and Mussolini's families. " No men- tion is made of cardinals in this special re- port (sent by Arnold Cortesi) or in reports carried by the wire services.
55. apud . . . Proenca: Paul mentions
[Migne, 659-660] two battles Charles Martel fought against the Saracens occupying Gaul: "uno in Aquitania apud Pictavium altero juxta Narbonam . . . postrerum in Provincia" ("one in Aquitania near Poitiers, the other next to Narbonne . . , later in Provence").
56. Lombards pro Carolus: L, "the Lom- bards [were] for Charles [Martel]. "
57. ACTUM . . . P ALA TIO: L, "Decree in the palace of Ticinum. " The heading of a document Paul quotes by which King Luit- prand in his old age made his loyal assistant Hildebrand a coruIer.
58. et Arimniun: L, "and Rimini. " The phrase comes from a eulogy for Luitprand celebrating his victories (he also conquered Rimini).
59. a stone in Modena: The story that a sacred spear was given to the Lombard kings in their coronation rites is mentioned by Paul's editor, who says he saw this story engraved on "a stone on the back part [am~ bon] of the altarpiece in the basilica at Mon- za," Pound misreads Monza as Modena [Migne, 667] .
King of
Vol. 95
bardorum.
contains
the Historia
Lango-
61. avars: The Avars were a barbaric no- madic people who, driven from central Asia laid siege to Constantinople in 626. T h e ; failed in that attempt but dominated the Hungarian plain until they were defeated by Charlemagne.
62. verbo . . . corruscans: L, "splendid in word and deed. "
63. Ideogram: Hsin [in K'ang Hsi Dictio-
37. Cedwald: Cedoaldus, an Anglo-Saxon
96/653
595
60. Luitprand:
744.
He was the Charlemagne of Italy who succeeded in bringing all of the northern part of the country under a firm rule based on justice. He also expanded Lombardy's relations with surrounding kings and courts. Charles Martel thought highly enough of him to send his son to the Lombard court for a tonsorial rite [Migne, 659]: "and the king, cutting his hair, became a father to him and sent him back to his father enriched with many royal gifts" [Migne, 672] .
Lom bardy, died
? ? 596
nary]. It is not in Mathews. The lower com-
ponent is the word for wood and the upper components are flames: all denoting intense heat and light and connoting "passion and illumination" [Witemeyer, Pai, 4-243,355]. For a king, perhaps "splendid" will do.
64. Wang: Chinese word for king, which Pound applies here to David Hsin-fu Wand because this Chinese poet was born into the distinguished Wang family. David Wand came to the U. S. in 1949 and corresponded with Pound first in 1955 [ibid. , 333-335].
65. Eirene: The Byzantine empress Irene, 752-803. When her husband died (780), she became regent for her son, Constantine VI. She neglected the wars on all fronts and devoted much energy to religious problems. A military revolt forced her to retire from the regency in 790, but she was recalled by Constantine in 792 and made joint ruler. She encouraged his misconduct and cruelty, or~ dered him to be blinded, and got him de- posed in 797. She was, in turn, deposed in 802 and died in exile.
66. Constans: An ambassador sent by Irene to propose a marriage between her son and the daughter of Carolus.
67. Carolus Magnus: Charlemagne. No mar- riage took place and thus the idea of uniting the Frankish Kingdom and the Byzantine Empire did not take place.
68. sardonix . . . rosi8: L, "Parian sardonyx, lilies mixed with roses. " From a verse epi~ taph for Queen Hildegard (d. 783), wife of Charlemagne. Sardonyx, a layered pink and white marble, is a metaphor for the queen's beauty_ Paros, one of the Cyclades, was fa- mous for its marble [Migne, 1602; with this line Pound leaves the History of the Lom- bards and goes to another book partly writ- ten by Paul, Historia Miscelia].
wife" and Philostratus, mentioned below.
70. Diocletian: Caius Aurelius Valerius D. , 245-313, Roman emperor (284-305). He
96/653-654
came to power from a high military com- mand. He consolidated the empire, restored Britain to it, and defeated the Persians. The later part of his reign was distinguished by persecution o f the Christians, an advanced system of administration, and many wise economic measures. He believed it was bet- ter to tax conquered peoples than destroy them. In 301 he uttered The Edict ofDioele- tian, an economic measure meant to check speculation in commodity prices_ In 305 he retired to live in a castle in Salona [Migne, 900-904].
. . .
72. otio . . . senuit: L, "quietly aging" [Migne, 904] .
73. Saturn _. . : The line is not in Migne. JW reports that "Diocletian and other emperors gave this tax-free money to "the cities to circulate. " If the gold and silver of the Ponti- fex [89:79] were taxed, this might have a beneficent economic effect [JW, Later, 112].
74. "changing. __ ": Not in Migne. Since one form of travertine is onyx marble, the line may mean changing from cottages to halls of marble, an idea that could apply to Diocletian or Vespasian: both came from poor families.
7S. Vespasiano . . . : L, "under Vespasian [Migne, 871] . . . cities rebuilt" [Migne, 874]. Roman emperor advised by Apollo-
nius of Tyana [94:118]
76. Antoninus: A. Pius [78:56]
77. apud Eboricurn: L, "near York. " From "Ibique apud Eboracum [sic] oppidum" ("And there near the town of York"). Septi? mius Severns renewed the war in Britain and died there [Migne, 891] .
96/654
80. Galla Placidia: [110:46]. The beautiful woman who died 1165 years after the founding of the city of Rome, according to the old Roman calendar system, and was buried in one of the most beautiful tombs ever created [76:86]. The daughter of Theo- dosia, she became empress of the West at a time when there were disturbances through- out the empire.
8! . Pictorum: L, "of the Picts. " They created uprisings in Britain [Migne, 954]_
82_ Vandali: L, "the vandals. " They created troubles in Spain [Migne, 955].
83. Bosphorus: Byzantium. Called Bas ("ox")-phorus ("ford") because of the tax exacted from all who passed through it.
597
lavius, son of Miltiades; Marcellus, Vitus, and Eusebius, bankers; . . . Marcellus, who was arrested as he entered the palace with a dagger . . . killed himself on the spot" [Bury, Later R. E. , 67-69]. Pound believes the plot was formed because of Justinian's tradition of tight control of money [Migne, 994].
92. two Abduls: Abdu-I-Malik, 646-705, the fith Omayyad caliph [685-705): "At his ac? cession Islam was torn by dissension and hard pressed by the Byzantine Empire. " But he overthrew his rivals and united Islam. An able adminstrator, he introduced Arabic coins, improved postal facilities, made Ara- bic the official language, and reorganized the government [cf. 161 below]. The idea of "two" may be that one could do worse than have two such able rulers, even Orientals [ef. 93 below].
93. the third bahai: The first, Baha Ullah, 1817-1892, founder of Bahaism, said many remarkable things, as did his son, Sir Abdul Baha Bahai, 1844-1921, the second Bahai [46:22]. The third is not mentioned in en- cyclopedias. A rhyme with the several other occult religions Pound was interested in [94:18]_
94. Edgar Wallace: Popular English novelist, 1875-1932, who wrote over 150 detective thrillers, as well as plays. Pound quotes him as saying, "Very few people are respected by anyone" [SP, 450]. Pound also said: "Mass culture insists on the fundamental virtues which are common to Edgar Wallace and to Homer. It insists on the part of technique which is germane to both these authors" [SP, 231]. And, "There is no faking in the arts. No artist can present what he hasn't got. Edgar Wallace triumphed by modesty" [GK,209].
95. Caedual: Pound says "Cedwald" earlier [cf. 37 above]. His baptism and absolution took place at about the same time, on his visit to Rome. [Vol. 95 ofMigne opens with Bede's Ecelesiastical History_ At this point and for most of the next 15 lines, Pound leaves Paul the Deacon's account and turns
Birthplace of
85. Verona et Bruxia: L, "Verona and Bricia. " Cities of Italy from which the Goths were finally expelled [Migne, 989].
86. all italian "reip. ": From sentence in Migne [989] about Justinian: "universanque Italiam ad reip. jura reduxit" ("and he brought all Italy back to the laws of the republic").
87. Bernicoli: Unidentified, not in source. Prob. a memory of someone Pound saw in Ravenna.
88. that stuffed shirt: Prob. a contemporary reference.
89. embargo: Justinian [94:45] established embargoes to protect local business [Migne, 990].
90. Theodora: Wife of Justinian, who made her joint empress when he came to the throne in 527. She died in 548 in the 21st year of his reign.
9! . Ablavius and Marcellus: Migne [992- 994] calls these two conspirators "pecuni- arum venditores" ("sellers of money"). They were apprehended before they succeeded. Says Bury (whose account is more complete than Migne's): "The conspirators were: Ab-
69. Tyana:
[94:42]. The line may tie in with "Severus's
Apollonius
7! . Haud
Salo" [Migne, 903]. Salona is in Yugoslavia and should not be confused with the SaID Republic.
78. 79.
Severus' wife: [94: 123]. Philostratus: [94: 123]_
Julia Domna.
Salonis:
L, "Not far
from
1
84_ treaty 988].
. . .
Justinian:
[94:45].
[Migne,
? ? 598
to contemporaneous events in 7th century Britain. ]
96. EI1APXIKON . . . : The Eparch 's Book. Source of most of the last half of Canto 96
[cf. 271 below].
97. that sea gull: Ino of the bikini [cf. I above].
98. eivex eexlcixoory,: H, "beach of the sea," One of Pound's favorite Homeric phrases. At the moment Odysseus awakes on Ithaca, where the Phaeacians have beached him, he believes himself lost again and, moaning, walks "expex elva "olcvrplcoio~ow eexlcixoory, rOd, XIII, 220]. Pound translates, "the turn of the wave and the scutter of receding peb? bles" [L, 274], leaving the literal sense to get the onomatopoetic effects he thought Homer had. Parts of the phrase occur often in both the prose and the poetry [98: 17; P,
181;LE,250].
99, ALDFRID: Alfred, king of Northum? bria (d. 705) [Migne, 258]. Not to be con- fused with Alfred the Great, ca. 849-899, king of Wessex and areas of England.
. 100. Aldhelm: St, A. , 640? -709, abbot of Malmesbury and author of a number of works in prose and verse, such as "De virgini- tate . . . versibus hexametris" ("concerning virginity . . . in hexameter verses"); De Meta- plasma [On the remolding] ; and De Sinalim- pha [On unclear waters]. Such works indi- cate that civilization was spreading to the outlands of the empire [Migne, 260, 261]. But most of Bede's commentary concerns such things as ecclesiastical tonsure rites- "fuss about hair-cuts"-[285, 288], comets
facing north [282] and mere fads [JW, Later, 114]. After this entry, Pound returns to the History o f the Lombards as continued after Paul the Deacon by Landulphus Sagax (Landulph).
101. Justin: Justin II, nephew and successor to Justinian I, and emperor (565-578).
22. Theodoric: Called Theuderic by Paul. Grandson of Brunhilda and Sigebert I. Not to be confused with the earlier Theodoric the Great, 454-526.
23. Brunhilda: She ruled as regent for her young grandson Theodoric.
24. Roma caput EccIesiae: L, "Rome the
head of the Church. " A declaration of Pope Boniface III made while (or, perhaps, because) the Persians were overrunning Jerusalem [Migne, 570].
2S. my grand-dad. . . hungry: Paul the
Deacon gives some of his own family his-
tory. He says the Huns forced his great-great-
grandfather Lupicis to flee Pannonia (now I Yugoslavia) "using a wolf as guide" [Migne, 574]. JW sees a pun in the spelling of Jugo- slavia, "because Paulus says his forebear was trying to escape the 'yoke (jugum) of cap- tivity. ' But when Lupieis (his own name resembles lupus, wolf) got too hungry, the animal became suspicious and fled" [JW,
Later, 106] .
26. comes itineris: L, "companion of the
593
route," which is what Paulus calls the wolf [Migne, 574].
27. Rothar: Rothari (? -652), king of the Lombards, 636-652. "And he was brave and strong," said Paul, "and followed the path of justice; he did not, however, hold the right line of Christian belief, but was stained by the infidelity of the Arian heresy [103: 105]. " Said Paul, "This king Rothari col- lected . . . the laws of the Langobards which
they were keeping in memory only, and he
directed this code to be called the Edict" [Migne,581].
28. Arian heresy: A theological concept
involving the nature of the Son in relation to the Father which as a major source of dissen- sion, tore the early church apart for hundreds of years. Said Paul: "The Arians, indeed, say to their own ruin that the Son is less than the Father, and the Holy Spirit also is less than the Father and the Son. But we Catho- lics confess that the Father and Son and
Holy Spirit are one and the true God in three
persons, equal in power and the same in
glory" [Migne, 582].
29. Ticino: Early name of Pavia, the seat
of the one Arian bishop, "Anastasius by name," who finally became converted. Said Paul, "It was now indeed the seventy- seventh year from the time when the Lango- bards had come into Italy, as that king bore witness in a prologue to his Edict" [Migne, 582].
30. dope. . . murder:JWsummarizesneatly: "no sooner does Rothar establish the law than Lombard SOCiety begins to show signs of decadence; dope is used (talis patio, 582); a snake cult is employed (585, note); and Chrothar debauches (bacchatur) with concu-
bin. es (586). Things reach a nadir when an aristocrat is cut down brutally in the basilica of San Giovanni in Pavia (592)" [JW, Later, 107, nos. in parens refer to Migne] .
31. Constans Augustus: Constantine IV,
631-685, became emperor at the age of 11 (642). His reign was fraught with violence and controversy. At one time, he captured
1
? ? ? 594
96/652-653
many of the cities of the Langobards but, failing finally, "directed all the threats of his cruelty against his own followers, that is the Romans" [Migne, 602] .
32. Pantheon: Constans was the first emperor to visit Rome for nearly two centuries-Pope Vitalian came out 6 miles to meet him. But Constans "pulled down everything that in ancient times had been made of metal for the ornament of the city, to such an extent that he even stripped off the roof of the church of the Blessed Mary which at one time was called the Pantheon. . . and he took away from there the bronze tiles and sent them with all the other ornaments to Constantinople"
[Migne, 602].
33. Constantinople: Formerly Byzantium, headquarters of the emperor since the time of Constantine the Great.
34. Siracusa: Said Paul: "He [Constans] dwelt in Syracuse and put such affiictions upon the people . . . as were never heard of before . . . but at last he suffered the punish- ment of such great iniquities and while he was in the bath he was put to death by his own servants" [Migne, 603] .
35. Reyna: Hieronymus Antonius R. , a friend of Fridericus Lindenbrogius, who is the editor of the work. In a note [Migne, 620] the editor says his friend Reyna told him "that the Lombards of this period cast statues of their heroes in the name and cult of St. Michael" [JW, Later, 107].
36. Migne: Jacques Paul M. , 1800-1875, a Roman Catholic priest who established a press in Paris and printed religious works. His principal work, in 3 series, was Patro- logiae, a collection of the writings of all the Christian writers from the beginning to the 15th century. He did the Latin fathers in 221 vols. , including indexes; the Greek fathers in Latin in 81 vols. ; and the Greek fathers in both Greek and Latin in 166 vols.
who says Paul visited Rome for absolution and died there [Migne, 632] .
38. Architriclin: L, "majordomo. " A sort of "mayor of the palace" to whom the Mero- vingian kings yielded their power. As a re- sult, the French rule passed into the hands of the Carolingians [Migne, 634]. Rhymes with the advice of Apollonius about what happens when the king will not be king
[94: 166].
39. From the golden . . . : Pound's transla- tion of "Aurea ex fonte quiescunt in ordine regis," the epitaph on the sepulcher of King Cunibert, next to the basilica in Pavia.
40. Cuningpert: Cunibert. Paul calls him [Migne, 636] "elegans" ("elegant") and "au- daxque bellator" ("a bold warrior").
41. de partibus Liguriae: L, "from the re- gions of the Ligurians. "
42. lubricus: L, "slippery" or "deceitful. " The epithet Paul applies to a duke from Liguia named Ferdulfus [Migne, 639] .
43. Aripert . . . gold: The fate of King A. was to drown in the Tieino River while he was trying to escape to France. He might have gotten away if he hadn't loaded himself
down with gold.
44. auro gravatus: L, "weighted down with gold. " The irony prompts Pound's next two lines. Migne has "gravatus auro" [646].
45. Via Lata: L, "Broad Street. "
46. Ponte Milvio: L, "MilVain Bridge. " After listing minor mishaps, Paul recorded a real disaster in which most of Rome was flooded
[Migne, 648] .
47. et quia Karolus: L, "and whom Charles. " From a chapter heading in Migne [648]: "De gente AngJorum, et rege Fran- corum Pippino, et bel1is ejus, et quia ei Karo- Ius suus filius successit" ("concerning the English people, and Pippin, king of the Franks, and his wars, and whom his son Charles [Charlemagne] followed").
48. Pippin: Pepin of Heristal (died ca. 714),
the father of Charles Martel and his wife Alpaide.
49. Plectrude's: A first wife of Pepin of Heristal whose sons were named Drogo and Grimvald.
50. Martel: Charles M. , 688-741, ruler of the Franks, the natural son of Pepin of Heri~ stal and grandfather of Charlemagne. He started to gain power as "mayor of the pal- ace" [cf. 38 above], crushed all opposition, and extended his rule from Austrasia to Bur- gundy, Aquitaine, and Provence. He also subjugated a number of German tribes, en~ couraged the missionary work of St. Boni~ face, and consolidated enough power to halt the Moslem invasion of Europe at the battle of Tours in 732. Known as "Charles the
Hammer," he never used the title king, but at his death he divided his lands between his sons Pepin the Short and Carolman.
51. Pippin: Pepin the Short. Paul's notes as well as his text is confusing, as the words "wait, wait" indicate. This Pepin was the father of Charlemagne.
52. Charlemagne: Charles the Great, 742- 814, who became the greatest of the Caro- lingian kings.
53. empty grave . . . San Zeno: The refer- ence is not in the SOUrce. DG's notes say it is a rhyme with "Y Yin sent the young king into seclusion" [85/546].
54. another bloke in Milano: Not in the source. Quite likely a reference to the fu- neral of Mussolini, which took place Aug. 31, 1957. The N. ? . Times for that date [pp. 1,3] says that M's body had been hid- den for 11 years in a box in a Capuchin monastary 15 miles NW of Milan. It was taken on this day to be buried in the family vault at the cemetery of San Casciano, at Predappio, M's home town. About 20 people were present with the widow: "members of her own and Mussolini's families. " No men- tion is made of cardinals in this special re- port (sent by Arnold Cortesi) or in reports carried by the wire services.
55. apud . . . Proenca: Paul mentions
[Migne, 659-660] two battles Charles Martel fought against the Saracens occupying Gaul: "uno in Aquitania apud Pictavium altero juxta Narbonam . . . postrerum in Provincia" ("one in Aquitania near Poitiers, the other next to Narbonne . . , later in Provence").
56. Lombards pro Carolus: L, "the Lom- bards [were] for Charles [Martel]. "
57. ACTUM . . . P ALA TIO: L, "Decree in the palace of Ticinum. " The heading of a document Paul quotes by which King Luit- prand in his old age made his loyal assistant Hildebrand a coruIer.
58. et Arimniun: L, "and Rimini. " The phrase comes from a eulogy for Luitprand celebrating his victories (he also conquered Rimini).
59. a stone in Modena: The story that a sacred spear was given to the Lombard kings in their coronation rites is mentioned by Paul's editor, who says he saw this story engraved on "a stone on the back part [am~ bon] of the altarpiece in the basilica at Mon- za," Pound misreads Monza as Modena [Migne, 667] .
King of
Vol. 95
bardorum.
contains
the Historia
Lango-
61. avars: The Avars were a barbaric no- madic people who, driven from central Asia laid siege to Constantinople in 626. T h e ; failed in that attempt but dominated the Hungarian plain until they were defeated by Charlemagne.
62. verbo . . . corruscans: L, "splendid in word and deed. "
63. Ideogram: Hsin [in K'ang Hsi Dictio-
37. Cedwald: Cedoaldus, an Anglo-Saxon
96/653
595
60. Luitprand:
744.
He was the Charlemagne of Italy who succeeded in bringing all of the northern part of the country under a firm rule based on justice. He also expanded Lombardy's relations with surrounding kings and courts. Charles Martel thought highly enough of him to send his son to the Lombard court for a tonsorial rite [Migne, 659]: "and the king, cutting his hair, became a father to him and sent him back to his father enriched with many royal gifts" [Migne, 672] .
Lom bardy, died
? ? 596
nary]. It is not in Mathews. The lower com-
ponent is the word for wood and the upper components are flames: all denoting intense heat and light and connoting "passion and illumination" [Witemeyer, Pai, 4-243,355]. For a king, perhaps "splendid" will do.
64. Wang: Chinese word for king, which Pound applies here to David Hsin-fu Wand because this Chinese poet was born into the distinguished Wang family. David Wand came to the U. S. in 1949 and corresponded with Pound first in 1955 [ibid. , 333-335].
65. Eirene: The Byzantine empress Irene, 752-803. When her husband died (780), she became regent for her son, Constantine VI. She neglected the wars on all fronts and devoted much energy to religious problems. A military revolt forced her to retire from the regency in 790, but she was recalled by Constantine in 792 and made joint ruler. She encouraged his misconduct and cruelty, or~ dered him to be blinded, and got him de- posed in 797. She was, in turn, deposed in 802 and died in exile.
66. Constans: An ambassador sent by Irene to propose a marriage between her son and the daughter of Carolus.
67. Carolus Magnus: Charlemagne. No mar- riage took place and thus the idea of uniting the Frankish Kingdom and the Byzantine Empire did not take place.
68. sardonix . . . rosi8: L, "Parian sardonyx, lilies mixed with roses. " From a verse epi~ taph for Queen Hildegard (d. 783), wife of Charlemagne. Sardonyx, a layered pink and white marble, is a metaphor for the queen's beauty_ Paros, one of the Cyclades, was fa- mous for its marble [Migne, 1602; with this line Pound leaves the History of the Lom- bards and goes to another book partly writ- ten by Paul, Historia Miscelia].
wife" and Philostratus, mentioned below.
70. Diocletian: Caius Aurelius Valerius D. , 245-313, Roman emperor (284-305). He
96/653-654
came to power from a high military com- mand. He consolidated the empire, restored Britain to it, and defeated the Persians. The later part of his reign was distinguished by persecution o f the Christians, an advanced system of administration, and many wise economic measures. He believed it was bet- ter to tax conquered peoples than destroy them. In 301 he uttered The Edict ofDioele- tian, an economic measure meant to check speculation in commodity prices_ In 305 he retired to live in a castle in Salona [Migne, 900-904].
. . .
72. otio . . . senuit: L, "quietly aging" [Migne, 904] .
73. Saturn _. . : The line is not in Migne. JW reports that "Diocletian and other emperors gave this tax-free money to "the cities to circulate. " If the gold and silver of the Ponti- fex [89:79] were taxed, this might have a beneficent economic effect [JW, Later, 112].
74. "changing. __ ": Not in Migne. Since one form of travertine is onyx marble, the line may mean changing from cottages to halls of marble, an idea that could apply to Diocletian or Vespasian: both came from poor families.
7S. Vespasiano . . . : L, "under Vespasian [Migne, 871] . . . cities rebuilt" [Migne, 874]. Roman emperor advised by Apollo-
nius of Tyana [94:118]
76. Antoninus: A. Pius [78:56]
77. apud Eboricurn: L, "near York. " From "Ibique apud Eboracum [sic] oppidum" ("And there near the town of York"). Septi? mius Severns renewed the war in Britain and died there [Migne, 891] .
96/654
80. Galla Placidia: [110:46]. The beautiful woman who died 1165 years after the founding of the city of Rome, according to the old Roman calendar system, and was buried in one of the most beautiful tombs ever created [76:86]. The daughter of Theo- dosia, she became empress of the West at a time when there were disturbances through- out the empire.
8! . Pictorum: L, "of the Picts. " They created uprisings in Britain [Migne, 954]_
82_ Vandali: L, "the vandals. " They created troubles in Spain [Migne, 955].
83. Bosphorus: Byzantium. Called Bas ("ox")-phorus ("ford") because of the tax exacted from all who passed through it.
597
lavius, son of Miltiades; Marcellus, Vitus, and Eusebius, bankers; . . . Marcellus, who was arrested as he entered the palace with a dagger . . . killed himself on the spot" [Bury, Later R. E. , 67-69]. Pound believes the plot was formed because of Justinian's tradition of tight control of money [Migne, 994].
92. two Abduls: Abdu-I-Malik, 646-705, the fith Omayyad caliph [685-705): "At his ac? cession Islam was torn by dissension and hard pressed by the Byzantine Empire. " But he overthrew his rivals and united Islam. An able adminstrator, he introduced Arabic coins, improved postal facilities, made Ara- bic the official language, and reorganized the government [cf. 161 below]. The idea of "two" may be that one could do worse than have two such able rulers, even Orientals [ef. 93 below].
93. the third bahai: The first, Baha Ullah, 1817-1892, founder of Bahaism, said many remarkable things, as did his son, Sir Abdul Baha Bahai, 1844-1921, the second Bahai [46:22]. The third is not mentioned in en- cyclopedias. A rhyme with the several other occult religions Pound was interested in [94:18]_
94. Edgar Wallace: Popular English novelist, 1875-1932, who wrote over 150 detective thrillers, as well as plays. Pound quotes him as saying, "Very few people are respected by anyone" [SP, 450]. Pound also said: "Mass culture insists on the fundamental virtues which are common to Edgar Wallace and to Homer. It insists on the part of technique which is germane to both these authors" [SP, 231]. And, "There is no faking in the arts. No artist can present what he hasn't got. Edgar Wallace triumphed by modesty" [GK,209].
95. Caedual: Pound says "Cedwald" earlier [cf. 37 above]. His baptism and absolution took place at about the same time, on his visit to Rome. [Vol. 95 ofMigne opens with Bede's Ecelesiastical History_ At this point and for most of the next 15 lines, Pound leaves Paul the Deacon's account and turns
Birthplace of
85. Verona et Bruxia: L, "Verona and Bricia. " Cities of Italy from which the Goths were finally expelled [Migne, 989].
86. all italian "reip. ": From sentence in Migne [989] about Justinian: "universanque Italiam ad reip. jura reduxit" ("and he brought all Italy back to the laws of the republic").
87. Bernicoli: Unidentified, not in source. Prob. a memory of someone Pound saw in Ravenna.
88. that stuffed shirt: Prob. a contemporary reference.
89. embargo: Justinian [94:45] established embargoes to protect local business [Migne, 990].
90. Theodora: Wife of Justinian, who made her joint empress when he came to the throne in 527. She died in 548 in the 21st year of his reign.
9! . Ablavius and Marcellus: Migne [992- 994] calls these two conspirators "pecuni- arum venditores" ("sellers of money"). They were apprehended before they succeeded. Says Bury (whose account is more complete than Migne's): "The conspirators were: Ab-
69. Tyana:
[94:42]. The line may tie in with "Severus's
Apollonius
7! . Haud
Salo" [Migne, 903]. Salona is in Yugoslavia and should not be confused with the SaID Republic.
78. 79.
Severus' wife: [94: 123]. Philostratus: [94: 123]_
Julia Domna.
Salonis:
L, "Not far
from
1
84_ treaty 988].
. . .
Justinian:
[94:45].
[Migne,
? ? 598
to contemporaneous events in 7th century Britain. ]
96. EI1APXIKON . . . : The Eparch 's Book. Source of most of the last half of Canto 96
[cf. 271 below].
97. that sea gull: Ino of the bikini [cf. I above].
98. eivex eexlcixoory,: H, "beach of the sea," One of Pound's favorite Homeric phrases. At the moment Odysseus awakes on Ithaca, where the Phaeacians have beached him, he believes himself lost again and, moaning, walks "expex elva "olcvrplcoio~ow eexlcixoory, rOd, XIII, 220]. Pound translates, "the turn of the wave and the scutter of receding peb? bles" [L, 274], leaving the literal sense to get the onomatopoetic effects he thought Homer had. Parts of the phrase occur often in both the prose and the poetry [98: 17; P,
181;LE,250].
99, ALDFRID: Alfred, king of Northum? bria (d. 705) [Migne, 258]. Not to be con- fused with Alfred the Great, ca. 849-899, king of Wessex and areas of England.
. 100. Aldhelm: St, A. , 640? -709, abbot of Malmesbury and author of a number of works in prose and verse, such as "De virgini- tate . . . versibus hexametris" ("concerning virginity . . . in hexameter verses"); De Meta- plasma [On the remolding] ; and De Sinalim- pha [On unclear waters]. Such works indi- cate that civilization was spreading to the outlands of the empire [Migne, 260, 261]. But most of Bede's commentary concerns such things as ecclesiastical tonsure rites- "fuss about hair-cuts"-[285, 288], comets
facing north [282] and mere fads [JW, Later, 114]. After this entry, Pound returns to the History o f the Lombards as continued after Paul the Deacon by Landulphus Sagax (Landulph).
101. Justin: Justin II, nephew and successor to Justinian I, and emperor (565-578).
